CVE-2024-49520: Adobe Substance 3D Painter RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2024-49520 Overview

CVE-2024-49520 is an out-of-bounds write vulnerability [CWE-787] affecting Adobe Substance 3D Painter versions 10.1.0 and earlier. Successful exploitation allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user. The flaw requires user interaction: a victim must open a malicious file crafted to trigger the memory corruption. Adobe published the fix in security bulletin APSB24-86 on November 12, 2024.

Critical Impact
Attackers can achieve arbitrary code execution as the logged-in user by tricking that user into opening a malicious Substance 3D Painter project or asset file.

Affected Products

Adobe Substance 3D Painter 10.1.0
Adobe Substance 3D Painter versions prior to 10.1.0
Windows and macOS installations of Substance 3D Painter

Discovery Timeline

2024-11-12 - CVE-2024-49520 published to NVD and Adobe releases security patch (APSB24-86)
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-49520

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is an out-of-bounds write [CWE-787] in Adobe Substance 3D Painter's file-parsing logic. When the application processes a malformed file, it writes data past the end of an allocated buffer. This corruption can overwrite adjacent memory structures such as function pointers, virtual tables, or heap metadata.

An attacker who controls the out-of-bounds write can redirect execution flow into attacker-supplied data. The result is arbitrary code execution inside the Substance 3D Painter process, running with the privileges of the current user. The attack vector is local and requires user interaction, but it does not require prior authentication to the target system.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing or incorrect bounds validation when parsing untrusted input from a file. The parser assumes structure fields, chunk sizes, or index values fall within a valid range and writes data based on those values without verifying them against the allocated buffer boundary. A crafted file supplies values that cause the write to occur outside the buffer.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires an attacker to deliver a malicious project, texture, or asset file to a victim through phishing, a compromised website, or a shared collaboration platform. When the victim opens the file in a vulnerable version of Substance 3D Painter, the parser triggers the out-of-bounds write. No network exposure of the application is required. Full technical details are not published by Adobe; see the Adobe Security Bulletin APSB24-86 for vendor guidance.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-49520

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected crashes of Substance 3D Painter.exe or Adobe Substance 3D Painter on macOS, particularly after opening a file received from an external source
Child processes spawned by Substance 3D Painter that are not part of normal application behavior, such as command shells or scripting interpreters
Substance 3D Painter making outbound network connections to unknown hosts shortly after a file open event
Creation or modification of executable files or persistence artifacts by the Substance 3D Painter process

Detection Strategies

Monitor endpoints for the Substance 3D Painter process spawning cmd.exe, powershell.exe, bash, or other interpreters
Alert on Substance 3D Painter writing to autostart locations, scheduled tasks, or user startup folders
Correlate file-open telemetry with subsequent process creation or network activity from the same parent process
Track software inventory for hosts still running Substance 3D Painter 10.1.0 or earlier

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable process command-line and parent-child process logging on workstations used by 3D artists and designers
Retain file-open events for Substance 3D Painter file types to support post-incident investigation
Monitor email and collaboration platforms for inbound .spp, .spt, and related Substance file attachments from untrusted senders

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-49520

Immediate Actions Required

Update Adobe Substance 3D Painter to the fixed version listed in Adobe Security Bulletin APSB24-86
Inventory all endpoints running Substance 3D Painter and prioritize systems used to handle files from external collaborators
Instruct users to open Substance 3D Painter files only from trusted sources until patching is complete

Patch Information

Adobe released a patched version of Substance 3D Painter on November 12, 2024. Apply the update identified in the Adobe Security Bulletin APSB24-86. Adobe assigns this update a priority rating consistent with a local, user-interaction-required code execution flaw.

Workarounds

Restrict opening of Substance 3D Painter files to those originating from verified internal sources
Run Substance 3D Painter under a standard user account without administrative privileges to limit post-exploitation impact
Apply application allowlisting to prevent Substance 3D Painter from spawning shells or scripting interpreters
Use email and web gateways to inspect or block Substance file types from untrusted external senders

bash

# Verify installed Substance 3D Painter version on Windows
reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Substance 3D Painter" /s | findstr /I "Version"

# Verify installed version on macOS
defaults read "/Applications/Adobe Substance 3D Painter/Adobe Substance 3D Painter.app/Contents/Info.plist" CFBundleShortVersionString